SINGLE PAYER IS THE ONLY HEALTHY SOLUTION

[Hoss]

Hoss, there are some doctors who overprescribe things like MRIs because they own an MRI and that sort of thing, but they aren't the majority of the issue in most locales.

That too, but as I've described previously, my current sister-in-law worked coding insurance and hated it.  Too many different forms to have to know how to code.  Please for the love of all that is good, standardize the insurance forms.  That would save a hell of a lot of money.  Might put a few people out of work, but it would save overhead for the GP for sure.

[Teatownclown]

Colonoscopies....the list is long especially at the private hospitals.

But I am old enough to recall the times when doctors made money off their investments and their pay covered moderate family lifestyle and education.

[nathanm]

That too, but as I've described previously, my current sister-in-law worked coding insurance and hated it.  Too many different forms to have to know how to code.  Please for the love of all that is good, standardize the insurance forms.  That would save a hell of a lot of money.  Might put a few people out of work, but it would save overhead for the GP for sure.

In case I haven't been clear, I completely agree. I probably posted about in our discussions about HCR before it was passed.

[Conan71]

Colonoscopies....the list is long especially at the private hospitals.

But I am old enough to recall the times when doctors made money off their investments and their pay covered moderate family lifestyle and education.

Where did they get the money for their investments?

Also, that's before doctors started building their own for-profit hospitals and helping to create an expensive de-centralization of health care.

[guido911]

Where did they get the money for their investments?

They certainly didn't earn it. The money probably came from this:

[Teatownclown]

Where did they get the money for their investments?

Also, that's before doctors started building their own for-profit hospitals and helping to create an expensive de-centralization of health care.

They saved over many years unlike the docs today who are bankers favorite credit risks because of their enormous incomes.

[nathanm]

They saved over many years unlike the docs today who are bankers favorite credit risks because of their enormous incomes.

Only stupid bankers. In my experience, doctors are the worst about paying their bills. I much prefer lawyers for clients, given the choice.

I don't know if they're too busy or they don't get paid on time or if they're just deadbeats, but it's always been a problem for me, aside from the two guys who do actually pay on time regularly. Of course, to be fair, there was this one attorney who never paid her bills on time either, but at least she had a good excuse: she had adopted 6 kids from third world countries and was single. (and she often took on pro bono work, the only reason I kept her as a client until I ridded myself of almost all the small ones)

[Teatownclown]

Vermont takes the lead.....

Vermont committee approves universal health care

"Late Thursday night, the House Health Care Committee approved the bill designed to set Vermont on a path toward a single-payer health care system on an 8-3 party-line vote."

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9M1STEG0.htm

[nathanm]

Fantastic. If the federal courts keep their noses out of it (and there are no Constitutional implications I'm not thinking of) we can see whether RomneyCare or single payer works better.

[Red Arrow]

Fantastic. If the federal courts keep their noses out of it (and there are no Constitutional implications I'm not thinking of) we can see whether RomneyCare or single payer works better.

I'd still like to take a look at Curtain #3.

[Teatownclown]

I'd still like to take a look at Curtain #3.

We live behind curtain #3 .... status quo.


Health care on California agenda
Bill would initiate single-payer reform; opponents call it socialized medicine.

http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2011/05/18/1895408/health-care-on-state-agenda.html

[guido911]

Ah, civility.

O/T. It's nice to see that we will look to Vermont and Mass. to see which HCR the country should follow. In the real world, I managed to get four specialist appointments for routine medical care made with at most one week wait time. Now, if i was living in, I wouldn't be so fortunate.

A new poll of 838 Massachusetts doctors finds patients are still waiting weeks -- in some cases as long as a month and a half -- for non-urgent appointments with primary care physicians and certain specialists.

Surveyors for the Massachusetts Medical Society called doctors' offices in February and March and asked when they could come in for routine care. They requested a new patient appointment with internists, family practitioners, and pediatricians; an appointment for heartburn with gastroenterologists; a heart check-up with cardiologists; an appointment for knee pain with orthopedic surgeons; and a routine exam with obstetrician/gynecologists.

The average wait ranged from 24 days for an appointment with a pediatrician to 48 days to see an internist. The wait for an internist was actually down slightly, from 53 days in a similar 2010 survey, but the waits for family doctors, gastroenterologists, orthopedists, and ob/gyns increased.

The medical society, which represents physicians, broke down the results by county, but in some cases the sample is small.

Surveyors also asked doctors whether they are accepting new patients: It was most difficult to find a new adult primary care doctor -- more than half of those practices were full. This year's results were close to the findings in the society's 2010 survey.

http://www.boston.com/news/health/blog/2011/05/wait_for_doctor.html

[Red Arrow]

We live behind curtain #3 .... status quo.

No, that's curtain #4.

[nathanm]

In the real world, I managed to get four specialist appointments for routine medical care made with at most one week wait time. Now, if i was living in, I wouldn't be so fortunate.

I don't know that anyone has advocated restricting your choice of doctors, so I'm not quite sure why you keep bringing up that straw man. Incresing the number of people getting routine care is a good thing for both the newly insured and you (less people to get you sick). If there is a shortage of doctors, talk to the board that restricts med school slots to keep doctors' incomes up.

[guido911]

If there is a shortage of doctors, talk to the board that restricts med school slots to keep doctors' incomes up.

Got a cite for that?

Notwithstanding, let's have the government open the floodgates and get more doctors in the pipeline because dumbing down the doctor pool is a fantastic idea. While we are at it, let's have the government tell them what their practice area will be and the number of patients they are required to accept as well. Hey, let's also tell them how much money they can earn.

You know, I have had it with your doctor bashing. Do me a favor, don't go to one any more. Cure yourself.